If you are about to remodel your kitchen, you are going to be making some big decisions. One of those decisions will be the type of cabinetry that you will use. If you are trying to decide whether you want to put upper cabinets back into your kitchen or replace them with open shelving, here is a look at the pros and cons of open shelving to help you decide.

Pros of Open Shelving

Great for Smaller Kitchens

If you have a kitchen that is a bit on the smaller side, open shelving gives the illusion of more space. You will still have plenty of storage room, but you just won't have bulky cabinets taking up space on the wall.

Easy Access

With open shelves, you will be able to place the items that you use frequently where they are easy to reach and easy to grab when they're needed. Since the shelves are open, you will be able to find everything easily and quickly, and the items will be easy to put away.

Looks Neat

If you have a lot of colored or out-of-the-ordinary dishware, you can display these items with open shelves. Essentially, open shelving allows you to get more creative with your dishes, pots, pans, and other kitchenware.

Cons of Open Shelving

Looks Cluttered

If you have limited space in your kitchen, then your open shelves can get pretty full rather quickly. Unfortunately, this can give your kitchen the appearance of being messy and cluttered. If you happen to be storing damaged pans, cereal boxes, etc., then the shelves can get a bit overwhelming. If you need to store food items, your open shelves can begin to look like your local grocery store instead of a kitchen.

Harder to Keep Clean

Shelves tend to gather dust, and the same can be said for the items that are sitting on the shelves. Dusting is a lot of work, and that's why a lot of people don't perform this household task very often. In addition, grease and grime can splatter onto the shelves and the items on the shelves, depending on their location. In order to clean the shelves and what is being stored on the shelves, you may need to remove each item simply to clean.

Zero Protection

It may look pretty to stack your grandmother's china on open shelves, but doing so will make them very vulnerable. If someone slams a door, your kids are throwing a baseball in the house (even though they shouldn't be), or any other type of incident, those china dishes could become damaged in an instant.

As you can see there are both pros and cons to open shelving in a kitchen. In the end, the choice for your kitchen cabinets is yours.